Ange Postecoglou handed Tottenham worst-case scenario ahead of Brentford with Son Heung-min blow
Latest Tottenham news with Son Heung-min set to stay at the Asia Cup after he and South Korea edged past Saudi Arabia
Son Heung-min will not be returning to Tottenham just yet after South Korea continued their journey in the Asia Cup thanks to a dramatic penalty shootout win over Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
An early second-half goal from Abdullah Radif had put Son’s side on the brink of elimination before a 99th-minute equaliser from Choe Gue-Sung sent the game to extra time. Half an hour more couldn’t split the teams though and so it went to penalties.
Son scored his spot-kick, beating the goalkeeper despite him diving the right way, helping his team to a last-16 victory that keeps their hopes alive. The result means that the earliest he will be back is after the clash against Everton.
Due to his participation in the tournament, the 31-year-old, who serves as both the club and national captain, has missed the last two weeks of Spurs action. Pape Matar Sarr, whose Senegal team was eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this week, will return sooner than anticipated from an international competition.
In response to a question regarding Sarr on Tuesday, Postecoglou said, “The latest I heard is he should be back tomorrow at sometime.””We’re disappointed for him because Senegal wanted to win the competition, but he performed well for them once more. He’s an important player, so it’s good to have him back.” After arriving, he should be good for Saturday.”
Son’s last appearance came in the 3-1 win against Bournemouth which has seen him miss an FA Cup victory over Burnley and defeat to Manchester City in the following round, along with a 2-2 draw against Manchester United.
Spurs decided to sign Timo Werner on a short-term loan while he was away, but now that he’s back, the former Chelsea player might just play cameos in the future. With his Mali team playing today evening and leading Burkina Faso in the round of 16, Yves Bissouma is the only player still competing in an international competition.
Fortunately for the Lilywhites, Sarr and Bissouma’s absence will be filled by the return of injured players James Maddison and Rodrigo Bentancur. However, very soon Postecoglou could have the full compliment of his midfield heading into the last half of the 2023/24 season.
